


Alec's Little Ducklings

by ToTheStarsWriting



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Caring Magnus, Hurt Alec, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magnus Bane Loves Alec Lightwood, Protective Alec, Protective Magnus, alec has friends, and just wants to take care of him, and want to take care of him, off screen attack, who love him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:21:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23586796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToTheStarsWriting/pseuds/ToTheStarsWriting
Summary: After Alec's hurt coming home from the Hunter's Moon, he's left laid up in bed when the drug they gave him prevents his injuries from being healed by angelic or magical powers. Magnus is fully prepared to do take care of his stubborn boyfriend, only to find out that there are a few other people who are more than willing to offer their help.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 30
Kudos: 501





	Alec's Little Ducklings

There was nothing more terrifying for Magnus than to watch the people he loved be in danger. So, naturally, he’d had to go fall in love with someone who put their life on the line every single day.

Over the months they’d been together, Magnus had mostly adjusted to the idea Alec was going to come back hurt sometimes. It never made it any easier to witness, of course. Nor would it chase away the fear that sat sour on his tongue when that happened. But it meant he was more prepared for it. Certain potions were always kept in stock in his apothecary. He made a few further studies into nephilim healing, too, just in case.

But Magnus had prepared himself to handle injuries dealt to his lover by demons. Maybe even a stray Downworlder during those times of fear and Valentine’s control.

What he hadn’t prepared himself for was to see Alec brought low by his very own people.

When Isabelle had called to say that they were coming to the loft, that Alec was hurt, he’d tried to get himself and his magic ready to heal whatever kind of venom had gotten into his lover. Anything else would’ve been treated with an iratze.

Magnus knew he wasn’t going to forget the look of Alec’s body when Jace had carried him in covered in bruises made by human hands, human feet, and marks that were so clearly from a seraph blade.

“We think it was a few rogue Circle members,” Isabelle explained as they laid Alec out on the table. She had Alec feet while Jace was settling his upper half. “Jace felt something in the bond, and when we tracked him, we found on the ground with a few standing over him.”

Jace’s snarl had been loud and furious. “We think they drugged him first. It looks like he was coming from the Hunter’s Moon.”

That would make sense. The last Magnus had known, Alec was going there to go meet up with Simon about something the baby vampire had insisted was extremely important. Though Magnus had been surprised that it was Alec he’d called, he had wished him well and sent him on his way with a promise that the wards would let him in whenever he got back.

It took three hours and help from Catarina to get Alec even close to healthy again. Jace was right – the Shadowhunters _had_ given Alec something. Whatever it was, it was interfering with his healing. They were able to get the bleeding stopped and encourage some of the wounds to close. But they could get of them. His iratze wasn’t working either. According to Catarina, most of Alec’s healing was going to have to be done the old-fashioned way. At least until he had time to get whatever the poison was out of his system.

He knew Alec was going to be all right – they’d worked damn hard to make sure of that, and the few brief moments he’d woken up had helped to reassure Magnus of that. But his recovery wasn’t going to be an easy one. With the bruises, stitches, and a few cracked, if not broken, ribs, his recovery was going to be long, and hard, and it would grate every single moment for his stubborn Shadowhunter. The last thing Alec wanted was to have people fussing over him. Not when he was so used to being the one to care for everyone else. This would require him to let people help.

The role of caretaker was a part of Alec that Magnus was convinced the man had been born with. His early years taking care of Isabelle had only helped bring it out. Then along came Jace, and Max, and then Clary and Simon – though Alec would vehemently deny any need or desire to take care of those two. With each person in his life, Alec was always the big brother. The caretaker. He didn’t do well having it turned on him. No matter that his siblings might try, their efforts were half-hearted, really. Magnus sometimes wondered if it was just how they were, or if they’d learned over the years that it wouldn’t work and had given up trying.

Luckily, Magnus was far more stubborn than any of these children, and he had no qualms matching his stubbornness against Alexander’s. There was no way his angel was going to win out against him. Bit by bit, piece by piece, Magnus wormed his way past all those defenses that Alec put up.

Out around others, Alec might still insist on trying to be the strong one. But here, in the privacy of the loft with no one but Magnus around to see? He gave in and let himself be soft. Let Magnus take care of him the way he deserved. It was an honor and not one that Magnus took lightly.

“I think this might test the limits of your comfort, though, darling,” Magnus murmured, reaching out to brush a bit of Alec’s hair off his forehead.

The fear that had been eating at him for hours was finally starting to fade away. Alec was here, he was lying in their bed, and he was well enough that both Isabelle _and_ Jace had gone back to the Institute to take care of things there for them. Of course, they were also going to come back tomorrow – or, later today, really. The sun had already come up.

The sound of sharp pounding on his door drew Magnus from his silent vigil.

He looked up, a bit surprised at the idea of guests. Perhaps Jace had finished up quickly or left the work to Isabelle so he could get here.

Magnus gave one last stroke to Alec’s hair, promising him, “I’ll be back in a moment, darling” before he headed out to his living room.

The last two people he expected to find on the other side of his front door were Simon and Clary.

Clary’s face was a bit paler than usual, and it looked like she’d been biting at her lip, while Simon just looked _devastated_.

Magnus was already tensing in preparation for whatever new trouble there was when Simon blurted out, “Is Alec okay?”

“Jace told me what happened,” Clary explained quickly. She had her hand in Simon’s, and she was bouncing up on her toes like she wanted to push past Magnus and race into the apartment. “He said he’s fine and that he was gonna come here later and see him, but Simon and I were supposed to meet up with Alec for breakfast today, and we just, we thought we’d come here and maybe see if he was awake instead?”

Now, that was news to Magnus. He raised his eyebrows a bit at the idea of Alec having breakfast not only with Simon but with Clary as well. Who, the last Magnus had known, Alec still mostly pretended to hate. He hadn’t realized Alec had finally let go of the pretend part and acknowledged he cared for the girl.

“He’s fine,” Magnus answered, realizing that he’d just been standing there staring at them. “He’s asleep right now, but I expect he’ll be up soon. Though I’m not quite sure he’ll be up for visitors.”

“Oh, yeah, no, we get it,” Simon hurried to reassure him.

Clary nodded so fast Magnus was surprised she didn’t give herself whiplash. “Yeah, totally. It’s just, I don’t know, we thought maybe we could come help. I know none of you guys really have experience in healing the mundane way. Simon and I do.”

It was hard not to soften in the face of their obvious care. Though Magnus could’ve told them that he’d known and cared for plenty of mundanes in his life, had even pretended to be one – and was very close friends with a warlock who always worked in some medical field no matter where they lived – he kept quiet. This was about more than offering help.

Smiling gently, Magnus took a step back and widened his door. “Why don’t you two come in?”

That was how Magnus ended up with a Shadowhunter and a vampire taking over his kitchen while arguing about the best kinds of soups to make when someone was trying to recover.

“I don’t know why you’re trying to argue over it, Fray, you know I’m right,” Simon said, shaking his head at her. Magnus was busy brewing up some tea for himself and Alec, wanting to have some ready when Alec woke, and was mostly ignoring them. Or he was, right up until Simon added on “Minestrone is better and you know it. Plus, you know Rhea is gonna bring some of her fresh bread by, and that’ll be perfect. He can dip it in and soak up the juice.”

Magnus turned to look at the two. “Who’s Rhea, and why is she bringing bread?”

“One of Alec’s baby ducks,” Clary said, waving a hand dismissively.

Snorting, Simon rolled his eyes, yet he was grinning at the same time. “And she always bakes when she worries. The last time Alec got hurt, she made him like this giant container of brownies, and she wouldn’t let anyone else have _any_.”

Magnus vaguely remembered Alec bringing home some rather delicious brownies after the last time he’d been hurt. _A ‘get well’ gift from a friend_ , he’d said. Magnus hadn’t really thought anything of it. He’d just assumed it was someone at work. But Clary’s term, _baby ducks_ , had Magnus twisting a little more to face them. He used his magic to check on Alec, make sure that he was still sleeping. Only when he was done did he focus his attention back on them.

“Alec’s baby ducks?”

“Uh, yeah,” Simon said, looking over to Clary and then back to Magnus. “It’s what we call ourselves.”

Implying there were more of them. Oh, this was getting better and better. Magnus brought his tea up in front of him to hide his amusement. Then he leaned back against the counter. “That sounds like it has a story behind it.”

The two friends exchanged another look that was a little more worried than the last one. Brows drawn down, eyes darting here and there, a whole conversation in just facial expressions. It was Clary who broke away first, turning back towards Magnus. She sounded almost as surprised as she looked when she asked, “You… you don’t know?”

“I’m afraid not, biscuit.”

“It’s nothing bad!” Simon hurried to say.

Just barely did Magnus keep from snorting. Like that was even a concern. Alec wasn’t the type to secretly be involved in something _bad_. Magnus trusted him. He trusted Alec not to keep a secret that might hurt them. Not after everything with the Soul Sword. They’d worked way too hard afterward to rebuild their relationship and put trust between them once more. Alec wasn’t going to do anything to ruin that.

A soft smile curved Magnus’ lips. It felt like the first real smile he’d had since Alec had come home. “I’m aware of that, Sheldon, thank you.”

The mispronunciation of Simon’s name barely got him an eye roll. The young daylighter was too caught up in hurrying to explain, it would seem, to even register their usual teasing. “I wasn’t actually the one to give us the name or anything like that. They already had that title when Izzy introduced me to them.”

“And who exactly are _they_?” Magnus asked.

“Izzy calls us Alec’s _kids_ ,” Clary said. Unlike Simon’s nervous rambling, she seemed to have realized that Magnus wasn’t the least bit upset about anything. His smile had her relaxing a little against the counter, looking much more at ease than she had just a moment ago. “It’s a group of us that Alec just sort of… adopted, I guess. He saved all of us from something or other, and you know how he is. Once Alec decides to look out for you, you’re pretty much stuck with him. Suddenly he’s growling at you for not getting enough sleep…”

“…not eating enough,” Simon chimed in. “Putting yourself at risk.”

“Working too hard.”

“And don’t forget what happens if you get hurt or sick.”

Clary winced at that one – clearly, she’d been on the receiving end of it more than once. When Magnus caught her eye, she mock-shuddered. “He’s really, really good at lectures. I don’t think even Luke is that good at them. I always end up feeling _terrible_ by the time he’s done.”

“But then he spends the whole time you’re recovering just spoiling you rotten,” Simon said, reaching out to pat her arm. He threw a smile Magnus’ way. “Last time Clary got hurt, he brought her all her meals to her room, took care of her iratze himself, and made sure she had all the time off she needed.”

A little wrinkle appeared on Clary’s nose that was just a _bit_ adorable. “A little too much, really. I could’ve gone back a whole lot faster than that.”

“Yeah, that wasn’t an argument you were gonna ever win, Fray,” Simon teased her.

“You’re lucky I didn’t keep you longer.”

Magnus had gotten far too caught up in their story and had apparently missed some rather important things. At the sound of Alec’s voice, he almost dropped his teacup while spinning around. The sight of Alec leaning against the wall near their bedroom door had Magnus hurriedly throwing his cup in the direction of the sink and rushing forward. “Alexander!”

The poor man looked like he was barely keeping on his feet. In the light of the morning, his injuries seemed so much worse, too. Or maybe that had something to do with him being upright. There was a bruise on the left side of his face that was stubbornly still there despite Magnus’ efforts. Thankfully the bit of road rash that had been there before was mostly faded away. The rest of his injuries were hidden underneath the shirt and sweats that Magnus had snapped him into earlier. But none of that hid the bags under his eyes or the paleness of his skin.

Unlike he normally might, especially with others around to witness, Alec didn’t protest it when Magnus went right up to him and ducked under his arm. He leaned into it as Magnus slid his own arm around Alec’s waist to catch his weight while trying to be careful of his ribs.

“You shouldn’t be up out of bed yet, darling,” Magnus said softly. He turned his head in and wasn’t surprised when Alec stole a quick kiss. When they drew apart, Magnus brought his free hand up to stroke lightly over Alec’s jaw. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed. You need to rest.”

He wasn’t all that surprised that Alec shook his head. Though it _was_ surprising when Alec simply murmured, “Couch?”

Magnus studied his face for a moment. There were lines around his eyes that Magnus knew well enough didn’t come from just pain. At least, not the physical kind. It made his heart ache to realize that Alec had likely woken up alone, terrified and confused, and had come out here seeking Magnus for reassurance. He leaned in and lowered his tone even more, trying to make sure not even the nearby vampire would hear. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke. I’ll come back with you if you want. Clarissa and Simon can find their own way out.”

Again, Alec shook his head. “It’s okay. I’d rather be out here.”

The fact that he didn’t try and still insist that Clary and Simon leave was just as telling as the rest of it. Magnus prided himself on knowing his Alexander well. There were times when Alec was hurt or upset that he genuinely did want solitude – or just Magnus. But there were also times when he just wanted to be around people who loved him. They’d discovered a while back that it could help when his anxiety got the best of him and tried to insist that he wasn’t worth all this effort. Being around others reminded Alec that, to them, he _was_.

“All right,” Magnus said softly. He adjusted a little more, using some magic to help him support Alec’s weight, and turned them toward the living room. “Just lean on me and let me know if you need to stop.”

In a louder voice, Magnus addressed the others while he took Alec carefully toward the living room. “Clarissa, grab the kettle and get some water going for me, please. Simon, go back to the bedroom and grab the purple blanket off the end of the bed as well as the smaller gold pillow and the larger purple one.”

The two moved in an instant to do what he’d ordered. They both shot off in different directions, leaving Magnus to get Alec to the couch. Alec huffed out a laugh that quickly turned to a low groan, and Magnus shushed him. “Just a moment, _sayang_ , we’re almost there. Just a few more steps.”

Vampire speed allowed Simon to beat them to the couch with all the items Magnus had asked for. It was half of why he’d been the one sent to do that.

“Put the big pillow down in the corner,” Magnus instructed him. Once Simon had it in place, it came time to carefully lower Alec down onto the seat.

Watching the way that Alec went impossibly paler was so hard. His lips pressed together in a flat, thin line, going white around the edges from the amount of pressure he was putting on them. Yet he made not a sound as Magnus got him seated, and even as Magnus carefully lifted his legs up onto the bed. The left one was fine, but the right one had some muscle tearing that Catarina had advised treating with lots of rest, elevation, and altering ice and heat.

The smaller pillow Simon had brought was perfect to go under Alec’s knee. The ice and heat, Magnus would see about getting in a moment once he remembered which one she’d said to do first.

As Magnus took the comforter next and began to lay it over Alec, his boyfriend finally found his voice again. “You don’t have to…”

Magnus hurried to cut _that_ off before Alec could even finish saying it. “I don’t have to do anything. However, I very much _want_ to take care of you. Will you let me?”

There was no way to argue with that. A look up at Alec’s face showed that he knew it, and he wasn’t all that impressed by it. But he stayed silent, and he let Magnus tuck the blanket around him.

Just as Magnus sat back, after one last double-check to make sure Alec was as comfortable as he could make him, he felt someone else approaching his wards. A few someone’s, actually. The first one, and the one whose presence had allowed them all in without needing to use the buzzer downstairs, was Jace. Another one had Magnus’ eyebrows going up in surprise. He knew that presence – had felt that magic before. What was Ranee doing here, and with Jace of all people?

Who the others were, Magnus had no idea. But he was going to find out quickly enough. Jace was opening the door even as Magnus looked up to Alec to warn him, “It looks like we’ve got a few more guests. You up for it?”

The door was wide open by that point, and Jace was making a beeline straight for them. “Alec, you’re awake!”

From behind him popped out a short young warlock with dark, dark skin, neon blue hair, and multiple piercings. Little Ranee, who looked no older than nineteen, and also currently madder than hell. Only, instead of coming to Magnus as he half expected, she actually darted _around_ him so she could go right up to Alec, dropping down to her knees near his hip.

“Fucking Lilith, you look like shit, Alec!” the foul-mouthed little warlock spat out. Ranee was young by warlock standards, just barely passed her first century, but she was both bright and bold. She’d lived through both of Valentine’s wars, and it’d made her hard, fast. She was the ‘in your face’ type of warlock. She wore her mark proudly, never bothering to hide the spines that ran up and down the outside of both her arms.

Alec shot her a dry look. “Language.”

“You really wanna scold me about language right now? Fucking _seriously_?” Ranee demanded.

The other guests moved forward, and Magnus would’ve moved back if Alec’s hadn’t caught his, drawing him in close so that it was either sit on the bit of couch by Alec’s hip or fall right on top of him. He shot Alec a warning glare, only to get a soft smile in return.

“You say this like it would a surprise,” one of the other guests said.

Magnus looked up as the others joined them and was surprised all over again to recognize two of them as Seelie and one as a werewolf. The werewolf was someone that Magnus knew from a bar he went to sometimes and that he knew Isabelle enjoyed. Rayne’s was the bar, and the bartender’s name was Modesto. He was calm for a werewolf; it took a lot to rile him, which made him a perfect bartender. He was tall and whipcord thin, with tanned skin and bright blue eyes, and a wild sort of air about him that made people think he was trouble, though Magnus had never had anything but polite interactions with the man.

The other two, the Seelie, weren’t anyone that he knew, and having them in his home felt a little strange.

However, the way that Alec lit up at the sight of them all even as he tried to groan and scowl would’ve had Magnus letting in a million others.

“What are you guys doing here?” Alec asked, shifting himself just a little to try and get more comfortable. Or, more likely, to get a look at the group that had gathered up toward his end of the couch by Ranee. Jace, at least, was sat on the arm of the couch, his hip brushing Alec’s head in a contact Magnus knew they both needed after something like this.

The two Seelies moved right up behind Ranee, one of them putting their hand on her head. They looked almost identical together – no, like mirror images of one another. They were both light-skinned, with blond hair and blue eyes, and they each had half their heads shaved. One on the right and one on the left. The other part was in a braid that hung almost to the ground. The only real difference between the two was that one appeared male while the other appeared female.

“Did you think we would not come to see you?” the male asked, arching one pale eyebrow down at him.

The woman watched him curiously, her head tilted as her gaze ran over him. “We were told your wounds have not healed. We hoped…”

“…that we might be able to provide assistance,” the male finished.

Magnus watched as Alec softened in that way of his that only those close to him ever got to see. Not as soft as he could get with Magnus, yet far more than many would probably think him capable of. “I’m all right, you guys. Really. Magnus is taking good care of me.”

As if Alec’s words had reminded them, the two Seelie and Ranee turned toward Magnus. Ranee offered him a small, apologetic smile, but the male Seelie reached one hand out toward Magnus. “My apologies for barging into your home like this, Magnus Bane. I am Teofila, and this is my twin…”

“…Dalila,” the other finished, holding out her hand as well.

Magnus shook them both, a bit bemused by this whole thing. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

The twins bowed low to him, a sign of great respect. “The pleasure is all ours,” Dalila said.

Modesto leaned over the back of the couch, arms resting on it to bear his weight, and gave a sniff while his eyes traveled over Alec’s body. “Do you have any idea what they gave you?”

Shadows passed briefly through Alec’s eyes. They darkened for that single moment that he let them see. Then he blinked, lowering his lashes to shelter his eyes, and gave a careful shake of his head. “No. I didn’t even know they gave me anything.”

Those words reminded Magnus of the fact that not only had Alec just barely been up, but he’d also been mostly out of it last night while they were healing him. He’d only woken for brief moments here and there. How much he remembered was anyone’s guess – and he didn’t need to be forced to remember it while in front of an audience. Even if that audience was made up of people who cared about him.

“We have a salve that should help with the bruising,” Teofila said, cutting off Modesto’s questioning. He reached into the bag on his sister’s hip and started digging around.

Ranee perked up a little. “I can make some tea that might help!”

“We’ve already got water brewing in here for tea,” Clary called out, bringing attention to the fact that she and Simon were there, something that Jace hadn’t noticed judging by the surprised look he gave her. “Magnus, which canister should I use?”

The way that Alec’s hand tightened on his for a moment before forcibly loosening was all Magnus needed to convince him to not even try and stand up. He curled his fingers in so that his grip was firmer and turned his head to call back, “The purple one with white spots. Three scoops of the large spoon attached to it, please.”

The next few minutes were lost in a haze of conversation, suggestions, and debates about what kind of things might help to heal Alec’s injuries. Magnus stayed by Alec’s side through all of it, watching with a sense of amusement as his home became overrun. Modesto ended up in the kitchen with Simon, insulting the young vampire for even thinking of trying to make soup. “Not only are you abysmal at soup,” Modesto told him, rolling his eyes. “Did you forget it’s _breakfast_? The last thing he’s going to want is soup for breakfast. Move – I’ll make oatmeal.”

“Oh, good plan,” Ranee said as she hurried over to join them. “Do they have brown sugar? You know he doesn’t eat it without brown sugar.”

When Magnus turned back to Alec, it was to find the younger man looking up at the ceiling and blushing. He looked so uncomfortable and embarrassed by all the attention. Yet he wasn’t even making an attempt to stop it. Keeping Magnus close was one thing. Allowing Jace to stay where he was, propping up Alec’s head and playing with his hair, that was normal, too. His partner and his parabatai were often the ones allowed closest when Alec wasn’t well.

The fact that he was allowing these others to so clearly fuss over him without protesting spoke a lot to his state of wellbeing. Or his affection for them. Likely both, judging by the fond way he’d looked at them.

Magnus drew Alec’s hand up, pressing a kiss against his knuckles. When hazel eyes shot to him, he smiled. “It would appear you forgot to introduce me to a few members of your family, Alexander.” A few _kids_ , if he was guessing right. He knew Ranee was young for a warlock, and Modesto looked barely old enough to work at the bar. As for Dalila and Teofila, their age was hard to guess with them being Seelie, but they didn’t seem to hold the bearing of the older ones that Magnus was used to seeing. Often the older ones didn’t like venturing out of their own realm, anyway. It was usually the younger ones who did.

Watching the way that Alec’s blush deepened had Magnus smiling. At the same time, it made Jace laugh. “Oh yeah. I bet you didn’t realize you were getting a whole horde of kids when you got together with this guy,” Jace teased.

“I don’t have any _kids_!” Alec hissed at him. The words were kind of undercut when Modesto called out, “Leave _mon pere_ alone, Lightwood, before I come kick your ass!”

“I’d like to see you try!” Jace shot back, grinning.

If it were possible, Alec would’ve sunk even further down into the couch at that. But when he tried to move, it must’ve jostled a few things because he went still and sucked in a sharp breath, losing whatever color had been left in his face. Which, really, hadn’t been much.

Magnus was already turning and calling up magic as he went. Though his and Catarina’s magic couldn’t make things better, he could at least try and ease the pain a little bit. Though nowhere near as much as he liked. He felt his frustration grow as the magic sank down into Alec and barely even did anything.

Alec lifted his hand to capture Magnus’ once more. “Hey. I don’t remember a lot, but I remember you guys telling me that magic wasn’t healing this. Quit pushing yourself for something that isn’t going to work,” he said, fingers curling back around Magnus’. He ignored the magic there in a way no one else ever had. He acted like it was just a part of Magnus. Like it was no big deal to touch it while touching him. To him, Magnus knew that it wasn’t. Alec had no fear of his magic. As he’d told Magnus once, “It’s a part of you. And you won’t hurt me.”

“I can’t heal you, but I can at least offer you some relief, little though it may be.” The last part came out a bit more bitter than Magnus had wanted. He hated seeing Alec in pain. Hated more that he couldn’t do anything for him.

Smiling gently, Alec gave Magnus’ hand a squeeze. “You’re doing plenty. I appreciate you being here. Right now, that’s all I need.” He shifted a little, and a wince crossed his features. “Well, that and an ice pack.”

Magnus didn’t even have a chance to snap his fingers. Jace was pushing up off the couch with an “I’ll get that” and taking off toward the kitchen where the others still were.

When Magnus looked at Alec, quirking one brow, his boyfriend gave him a sheepish smile. “He does better if he has something to do,” he murmured.

“It would seem the others do, as well,” Magnus said. He gestured to take in the group cooking in the kitchen, the ones making tea, and the two who were over at the table seemingly putting together some floral smelling salve and bandage that Magnus was definitely going to take a look at before he let them put it on his Alexander.

“Yeah.” That blush was back, just a little, and Alec’s eyes dropped down to their joined hands. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t realize Jace was going to let _everyone_ know.”

“You have people who care for you, darling. There’s no shame in that. Though I have to say, I’m a little surprised. Simon and Clary, I knew about, but the rest of your, ah, ducklings?”

Alec closed his eyes and let out a groan. “ _By the Angel_. Them and that stupid name. They’re not my ducklings. They’re just…”

“Your friends?” Magnus filled in softly.

He didn’t think he’d ever heard Alec use that term to describe anymore before. For the most part, he gave the impression that he didn’t really get along with people who weren’t family. Siblings, a cousin or two, or the partners of his family members. The only ones that Magnus could think of that Alec ever interacted with outside of their family were Luke or Maia, and that was often in a work-related capacity, or briefly while ordering drinks at the Hunter’s Moon. Once in awhile he mentioned Andrew, but that was also someone he worked with more often than not, and Magnus knew he had a hard time letting go around someone who happened to also be his subordinate.

Alec had never talked about friends. And yet, that was clearly what this group was. A group of friends that cared deeply for Alec, and that Alec had never felt the need to mention to him before.

Something must’ve leaked through into Magnus’ face, some hint of his thoughts, and it had Alec moving again despite Magnus’ immediate protest. He sat up just a little, one arm going to hold his waist as he did, and his other hand let go of Magnus’, only to reach up to his face instead. “I wasn’t trying to keep them from you, Magnus. Honestly. It’s just…”

“What?”

“No one ever asks,” Alec said, shrugging one shoulder and causing himself to wince.

The simplicity of those words struck Magnus. They weren’t ones he could argue, either. With a growing sense of shame, Magnus realized that not once could he ever remember asking Alec about friends. When they had dinners or the occasional party or anything like that, he invited Alec and his siblings, and he’d allowed Isabelle to bring a date or two, but never once had he asked Alec if he had friends he wanted to invite. Even when Magnus invited his own friends for something. He’d just made the assumption that Alec had none.

Realizing that brought a slippery slither of guilt to Magnus’ stomach.

He didn’t get a chance to voice any sort of apology, though. Alec smiled gently at him and stroked his thumb over Magnus’ lips. “It’s okay.” When he saw Magnus was about to protest, he hurried to add on, “No, really, it is. I know what people think of me, and that’s okay.”

“It should never be okay when people treat you as less,” Magnus protested. “Especially me.”

Alec’s smile grew. “I’ve never felt like you treat me like less, Magnus. I could’ve just as easily told you about them as you could have asked. And really, it’s not like I’ve known them all for years and years. I mean, I’ve known Dalila and Teofila since I was like, fifteen, and Ranee since I was eighteen. But I just met Modesto last year, and I met Rhea through Simon.”

Ah, that explained why the Rhea that Simon mentioned earlier hadn’t shown up yet. She must be a vampire. Which meant that Alec had ‘ducklings’ in pretty much every race one could find here in New York except for maybe the Unseelie. Vampires, Seelie, a warlock, a werewolf, Shadowhunters.

Though Magnus had questions – and apologies to make whether Alexander liked it or not – he could see that sitting up this way wasn’t easy on the injured Shadowhunter. Only, when Magnus tried to move, Alec tugged him back into place and actually leaned forward a little more.

“Alexander, stop. You’re going to hurt yourself,” Magnus chided him.

“Then get over here and sit with me.”

The playful demand was delivered with a warm smile and soft eyes that Magnus wouldn’t ever be able to resist. Nor did he want to.

It took a little bit of careful maneuvering to get Alec sat up enough that Magnus could slip in behind him. With the large pillow on Magnus’ lap, it let him sit normally while Alec could perfectly recline against him, his head coming to rest on the armrest. Alec seemed more than happy with the arrangement if the way he relaxed down into the touch were anything to go by.

He’d just gotten settled when everyone seemed to converge in the living room all at the same time. Jace came in first with a bunch of ice wrapped and tied off inside a bag and a towel. His hands were gentle when he moved the blanket off of Alec’s knee so he could set it there, flinching right along with Alec’s low hiss of pain at the first initial touch.

Modesto was next, a tray in his hands that he set over Alec’s lap, firmly ordering him, “I want at least half of this gone, you hear me?”

There was a bowl of oatmeal on the tray – liberally sprinkled with brown sugar – and a large mug of tea next to it. Thankfully, no one had tried to add toast or anything like that. Magnus was sure the bruise on Alec’s face was going to make eating interesting as it was.

Next was Dalila, though she came up to Magnus, not Alec, a bandage held out in her hands. “Here, High Warlock. The salve we made to put on any open wounds he has left. There is no real magic to them except for what can be found in nature, but…”

“…we gave extra potency to the herbs,” Teofila finished for her in what Magnus was coming to see was a common way of speaking with them.

The fact that they brought it to him to look at instead of just taking it to Alec was something Magnus hadn’t expected. He more than appreciated it, though, and made sure to thank her as he took a look at the bandage and let his hands and magic run over it. There was nothing in there that he didn’t expect to find. When he finished, he gave Dalila a smile. “Most of the wounds are healing well, but the one on his right thigh could definitely use that. Thank you.”

More shuffling, this time Jace scooting up to allow the twins access to Alec’s calf. The others were taking their seats around the living room, clearly settling in for the long haul. All except for Clary. She came up and plopped herself down on Jace’s lap and then actually leaned in and swatted at Alec’s hand when he tried to lift it and reach for the spoon. “You shouldn’t be moving. Let me help you.”

From the angle they sat at, it was easy for Magnus to look down and see the utterly horrified look that crossed Alec’s face. “Absolutely not!”

“Your body needs to rest, Alec, and I can see it hurts you to move. Let me help.”

“Reach for that spoon again and you’re on ichor duty for the next _month_ ,” Alec threatened her, glaring as he did. When she opened her mouth, clearly ready to argue, he added on, “And I’m putting you in charge of newbie orientation when the next batch comes in.”

That was enough to get her to snap her mouth shut. Everyone laughed at the way that she immediately lifted her hands up in the air and pushed up to her feet. “Woah, okay, no need to get nasty. You can do it yourself. Got it. I’m just gonna go sit over here with Simon, where it’s safe.”

Ranee snorted from her spot lounging in Magnus’ favorite chair. It didn’t escape his notice the way she watched Alec worriedly, though, even as she drawled out, “You two are ridiculous. Are you that scared of baby Shadowhunters?”

“Listen, _you_ try dealing with them!” Clary shot back quickly. “They come in thinking they know everything, acting like they’re so much better or so much smarter…”

“Gee, I wonder what that’s like,” Alec interrupted in his driest voice.

Laughter once more swept through the room. Magnus saw the pleased smile that ghosted over Alec’s lips before he hid it. _Stubborn, ridiculous man_ , he thought fondly. Even when he was hurt, he was still trying to ease the worries of those he cared about. Watching them worry about him wasn’t something that Alec was ever going to just sit by and ignore.

Magnus was watching Alec carefully reach out for the spoon, ready to try and discreetly help if it proved his boyfriend was too sore to do it, when Ranee spoke up again, to him this time. “So did I hear things right when firecrotch over here was talking in the kitchen – did you not know about Alec’s group of little ducklings?”

The nickname ‘firecrotch’ had Clary shouting out a “hey!” that seemed more perfunctory than anything. Magnus quickly decided _that_ was a story he very much did _not_ want to hear. Unlike the rest of it, which it looked like Ranee might give him. “I did not, no,” he answered easily.

“Go figure,” Modesto said. He shook his head and shot Alec a look that somehow managed to be both threatening and fond at the same time. “Very rarely does this one like to share stories that paint him in a good light.”

“Or any light at all,” Jace chimed in, earning him a glare from Alec.

For his part, Alec took a large bite of oatmeal and seemed to be trying to glare his food into submission. “You’re all ridiculous, and I hate you,” he said flatly.

Modesto, Clary, and Jace all laughed, Ranee snorted, Simon rolled his eyes, and the twins smiled.

“Ignore him,” Ranee said, waving a hand his way while she smirked up at Magnus. “He just gets all flustered when we talk about it cause he doesn’t like admitting he saved our lives and then adopted us all like lost, stray kids.”

Alec’s immediate “I did not!” was cut off by Dalila and Teofila speaking at the same time, saying, “We were the first.” They were curled together on the floor, leaning into one another like they were one body slouching there. Dalila smiled at Alec, while Teofila looked to Magnus. “Though he denies it, Ranee is not wrong in stating that he saved our lives. We were young when we met, and foolish. We believed ourselves safe enough to try the mortal realm despite the warnings that we were not ready…”

“…and we had barely been here when we encountered a demon that was beyond our skill…”

As the twins told their tale, passing it back and forth between them, Magnus felt Alec settle a little more comfortably against him and the pillow. He was hurt, far more than Magnus liked to see, and his recovery was going to take a while. Long enough that Magnus knew he would begin to chafe at it before they were done. Yet, at that moment, he was allowing himself to be coddled. To be propped up and cuddled by Magnus, guarded by his parabatai, and spoiled by the little ducklings that he’d collected over the years, and whose love and loyalty were evident for anyone to see.

Smiling, Magnus stroked a bit of Alec’s hair back from his face and bent down to press a kiss against his forehead. He had a feeling he was going to get a lot more help in caring for Alec these next few days. While he hated that his boyfriend had to be injured for this to happen, he could admit that he was looking forward to getting to know these people who were clearly so very important to him. And he loved the way that it felt like they were slowly piecing the bits of their family together, little by little, bit by bit, wrapping themselves in one another until they were so tangled together there’d be no taking them apart.

Magnus couldn’t wait.


End file.
